Most Women Working Today Will Not See Equal Pay during their Working Lives

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2013, 2012 earnings figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau yesterday do not hold much good news for women. Real earnings have failed to grow, and the gender wage gap is at the same level as it was in 2002. Women’s median annual earnings for 50 or more weeks of full-time work in 2012 were $37,791, compared with $49,398 for men, a gender earnings ratio of 76.5 percent. Real earnings did not increase compared to 2011, and the typical woman earned $11,607 less in 2012 than the typical man.

“Progress in closing the gender wage gap has stalled during the most recent decade. The wage gap is still at the same level as it was in 2002,” said Dr. Heidi Hartmann, President of IWPR. “If the five-decade trend is projected forward, it will take almost another five decades—until 2058—for women to reach pay equity. The majority of today’s working women will be well past the ends of their working lives.”

A new fact sheet released today by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, maps the gender earnings ratio since 1960 and analyzes changes in earnings during the last year by gender, race, and ethnicity. While there is a gender earnings gap between women and men of each major racial/ethnic group, the median earnings of all women are below those of white men. During 2012 the median annual earnings of Hispanic women were only $ 28,424, just 54 percent of the median annual earnings of white men, and at a level that would qualify a woman head of a family of four to receive food stamps.

“While there is no silver bullet for closing the gender wage gap,” said Ariane Hegewisch, a Study Director at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research and author of the fact sheet, “strengthened enforcement of our EEO laws, a higher minimum wage, and work/family benefits would go a significant way towards ensuring that working women are able to support their families without having to rely on welfare.”

The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that conducts rigorous research and disseminates its findings to address the needs of women and their families, promote public dialogue, and strengthen communities and societies.

New Oxfam America poll reveals harsh realities in the world’s most unequal rich country

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2013, As the nation prepares to mark Labor Day, Oxfam America released the findings of a new poll commissioned to explore the realities of America’s working poor. The survey reveals that America’s low-wage workers have a fierce work ethic and believe that hard work can pay off. However, they hold jobs that trap them in a cycle of working hard but unable to get ahead and with little hope for economic mobility.

The survey, which was conducted on Oxfam America’s behalf by Hart Research Associates, found that most low-wage workers barely scrape by month-to-month, are plagued by worries about meeting their families’ basic needs, and often turn to loans from family and friends, credit card debt, pawn shops and payday loans, and government programs just to get by. The poll also found that the workers facing the greatest challenges are also the most vulnerable, and that includes parents, women, and those making less than $10 per hour.

“For tens of millions of low-wage American workers, Labor Day is another long day on the job—doing hard work, often at irregular hours, for low pay and few benefits,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. “As our nation struggles to recover from the Great Recession, there is little recovery for a quarter of American workers who are stuck in low-wage jobs. Our country is now the most unequal rich country in the world, and has the largest percentage of low-wage workers of any advanced economy.”

Oxfam’s survey shows that in addition to inadequate incomes, low-wage workers also face challenges and obstacles that make it difficult to maintain basic job security and to find paths for advancement. Almost a third of those surveyed reported that they have no workplace benefits, such as paid sick leave, health insurance or paid vacation time. And one in six reported having lost a job in the last four years because they got sick or had to take care of a child or family member. A majority of the working poor surveyed believe that it is more common for middle-class people to fall out of the middle class than for low-income people to rise into the middle class.

“Poverty in the US looks very different from poverty in the developing countries where Oxfam often works,” said Offenheiser. “But what is the same – be it in the world’s richest country or its poorest– is the injustice of a society in which a few are mind-bogglingly rich, some are doing well, and too many are working hard but simply can’t make ends meet.”

A majority of low-wage workers reported that they believe that government has a responsibility to ensure that everyone has enough to eat, has access to health care and a roof over their head. But they also believe that government policy is slanted toward benefiting the rich rather than helping the poor get ahead.

“Despite their struggles, our survey finds that low-wage workers don’t want hand-outs; they want a level playing field. They want fair wages, decent working conditions, and dignity,” continued Offenheiser. “A majority of the working poor support a higher minimum wage, help in making child care more affordable, and expanding the earned income tax credit.”

Note: According to the Gini index, the most commonly used measure of inequality, the United States is the wealthiest nation with the largest difference between the poorest and richest.

Oxfam America is a global organization working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger, and injustice. We save lives, develop long-term solutions to poverty, and campaign for social change. As one of 17 members of the international Oxfam confederation, we work with people in more than 90 countries to create lasting solutions. To join our efforts or learn more, go to www.oxfamamerica.org

ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 20, 2013, Private sector wage gains are expected to remain in a holding pattern in the coming months, according to the preliminary third-quarter Wage Trend Indicator™ (WTI) released today by Bloomberg BNA, a leading publisher of specialized news and information.

The forward-looking index edged down slightly in the third quarter to 98.70 (second quarter 1976 = 100) from the second-quarter reading of 98.72. Since the third quarter of 2011, the WTI has fluctuated within a narrow range from 98.47 to 98.75.

“The job market continues to improve very slowly, although employers are still showing a reluctance to add significant numbers of workers to their payrolls,” economist Kathryn Kobe, a consultant who maintains and helped develop Bloomberg BNA’s WTI database, said.

Kobe said she expects the annual rate of wage gains in the private sector in the coming months to remain at or near the 1.9 percent increase posted in the second quarter, according to the Department of Labor’s employment cost index (ECI). The WTI does not forecast the magnitude of wage growth, only the direction.

Over its history, the WTI has predicted a turning point in wage trends six to nine months before the trends are apparent in the ECI. A sustained increase in the WTI forecasts greater pressure to raise private sector wages, while a sustained decline is predictive of a deceleration in the rate of wage increases.

Reflecting mixed economic conditions, three of the WTI’s seven components made positive contributions to the preliminary third quarter reading, while three factors were negative and one was neutral.

Contributions of Components

Among the WTI’s seven components, the three positive contributors to the preliminary third-quarter reading were job losers as a share of the labor force, the unemployment rate, and average hourly earnings of production and nonsupervisory workers, all from DOL. The three negative factors were the share of employers planning to hire production and service workers in the coming months, measured by Bloomberg BNA’s quarterly employment outlook survey; industrial production, reported by the Federal Reserve Board; and forecasters’ expectations for the rate of inflation, compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The remaining component, the share of employers reporting difficulty in filling professional and technical jobs, also from Bloomberg BNA’s employment survey, had a neutral impact on the WTI.

Bloomberg BNA’s Wage Trend Indicator™ is designed to serve as a yardstick for employers, analysts, and policymakers to identify turning points in private sector wage patterns. It also provides timely information for business and human resource analysts and executives as they plan for year-to-year changes in compensation costs.

The WTI is released in 12 monthly reports per year showing the preliminary, revised, and final readings for each quarter, based on newly emerging economic data.

Dr. Joel Popkin, who is acknowledged as one of the country’s foremost authorities on the measurement and analysis of wages and prices, developed the WTI for Bloomberg BNA. Formerly an official with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dr. Popkin has been an analyst observing and predicting the U.S. economic outlook for 40 years. Kathryn Kobe, who worked with Popkin in designing the indicator for Bloomberg BNA, is director of price, wage, and productivity analysis at Economic Consulting Services LLC.

WASHINGTON, May 3, 2013, Acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris issued the following statement about the April 2013 Employment Situation report released today:

“This morning’s report shows that the economy added 165,000 total nonfarm jobs in April, and the unemployment rate dipped to 7.5 percent, a four-year low. That means 6.8 million new jobs over 38 consecutive months of private-sector job growth following the Great Recession. The revisions to February and March that show additional employment gains of 114,000 jobs are further indication that – to this point – 2013 has shown a fuller, more accelerated jobs recovery than we have yet seen.

“The unemployment rate has declined by 0.4 percentage point since January. In April, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) declined by 258,000. Significant gains this month in professional and business services, health care and retail employment are indications that many of the jobs being added are providing good, middle-class opportunities for the unemployed. The bottom line is that people are finding work: There are 1.65 million more people working today than 12 months ago.

“But let us not mistake a report that exceeds our expectations with unequivocal economic success. The difference between a moderate jobs report and an excellent report is the sequester. These misguided, arbitrary budget cuts are putting the brakes on an economy that is gaining momentum in the private sector – just when we need to hit the gas. Because of the sequester, we are not creating the abundance of new jobs that will put everyone who wants to work back on the job and end the cruel game of economic musical chairs that leaves so many hard-working people out of work when the music stops. We need a balanced approach that makes investments in job-creating activities while pursuing a long-term deficit reduction strategy.

“President Obama has proposed several measures that will jump-start the economy and catalyze job growth. He continues to push for infrastructure investments that will breathe new life into the construction industry, in particular. In addition to physical infrastructure, we need to modernize our skills infrastructure, providing the training and investments in human capital that will prepare people for good jobs and give them ladders of opportunity.”

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille or CD from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.

Globally, 83% of institutions are either somewhat or very concerned about losing top performers to other opportunities

Demand is strongest for financial services professionals with accounting and finance expertise, operations support experience

TORONTO, April 30, 2013, Already faced with a changing regulatory landscape globally, the financial services sector may have yet another challenge: finding and keeping good employees. In a recent Robert Half study, nearly nine in 10 (89 percent) executives surveyed in seven countries reported recruiting difficulties, and 83 percent said they are concerned about losing top performers to other opportunities.

The survey was developed by Robert Half, the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm, and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based on responses from 1,100 financial services executives, including finance directors, chief financial officers and chief operations officers, across seven countries: Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“While some areas within financial services institutions have seen cutbacks, other more profitable product lines are receiving further investment which has resulted in additional hiring,” said Neil Owen , global practice director of financial services recruitment for Robert Half . “This is creating challenges in finding the requisite staff to capitalize on emerging opportunities. Competition for the industry’s top talent continues to intensify for middle-office and support roles, particularly accounting and finance, as well as operations positions.”

Recruiting Challenges

Eighty-nine per cent of executives surveyed said it is very or somewhat difficult to find skilled financial services professionals today. Talent shortages are especially acute in Hong Kong, where 95% of respondents cited difficulties. Even in France, which had the lowest level of difficulty, 82% of executives reported recruiting challenges.

When asked how challenging it is to find skilled financial services professionals

Very
challenging

Somewhat
challenging

Net
challenging

All countries

33%

56%

89%

Hong Kong

38%

57%

95%

Singapore

49%

45%

93%

Germany

36%

55%

91%

UK

29%

62%

91%

Canada

28%

62%

90%

US

30%

54%

84%

France

15%

67%

82%

Added Owen,“Institutions around the world need staff who can manage fundamental business needs, drive profitability and ensure compliance mandates are met. Building a team with these skills has become increasingly difficult as firms face situations in which the demand for skilled professionals often outweighs the supply”.

Employers’ Retention Worries

With the hiring environment improving for financial services professionals who can fill roles in areas such as accounting and finance, operations support, revenue generation, and risk and compliance, employers around the globe are worried about losing their best and brightest to other opportunities. Eighty-three percent of financial services executives are at least somewhat concerned about their ability to hang on to top performers this year, the survey found.

The greatest worries appear to be in Hong Kong and Singapore, where 93% and 92% of respondents, respectively, cited concerns about losing good employees. In the seven countries surveyed, at least 76% of respondents expressed some level of concern.

When asked how concerned they are about losing top performers

Very
concerned

Somewhat
concerned

Net
concerned

All countries

31%

52%

83%

Hong Kong

40%

53%

93%

Singapore

50%

42%

92%

Germany

21%

66%

87%

Canada

22%

62%

84%

UK

24%

59%

83%

US

29%

48%

77%

France

21%

55%

76%

“A combination of factors, including heightened demand for skilled specialists in financial services, the growing need for regulatory expertise and operational changes taking place in the sector, may exacerbate current retention challenges,” Owen said. “Employers will need to focus on competitive compensation, progressive perks and rewarding career paths to keep their best people.”

About Robert Half
Founded in 1948, Robert Half is the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm. The Menlo Park, Calif.-based company has more than 350 staffing locations worldwide and offers online job search services on its divisional websites, all of which can be accessed at www.roberthalf.ca. Follow Robert Half on Twitter at twitter.com/RobertHalf_CAN, and gain insights on the latest financial hiring and salary trends at www.roberthalf.ca/salarycentre.

ATLANTA, Feb. 19, 2013, With technology increasingly blurring the lines between work and home and women assuming more prominent roles at work, a survey released today by Randstad US reveals that constant connectivity does not mean increased productivity for women workers.

Randstad’s latest Engagement Index study reveals that while 42 percent of women believe it is increasingly difficult to disconnect from work while at home, the majority (68 percent) do not believe that the blurring of lines between work and home has increased their productivity.

“As enhanced technologies and increased access to information continues to blur the lines between our professional and personal lives, many workers mistake being busy for being productive,” said Linda Galipeau, Randstad CEO of North America. “These are two very different concepts that when looked at from an organizational standpoint—could have serious implications for a company’s bottom line. We are only productive if we’re producing the results that are most impactful to our goals. Being that we live in a multi-tasking world, it is important to work smarter and hone in on those high-impact efforts that will create more meaningful results. This is incredibly important, especially as women and men can now perform their jobs from almost anywhere.”

Other notable findings:

Flexible Working Arrangements and Policies Among Prime Benefits For Women

Forty-nine percent of women say their company is flexible and accommodating in terms of hours or working arrangements. Additionally, 33 percent of female respondents feel this is one of the most effective ways to engage them.

Women Cite the Top Asset in Growing Their Careers

In terms of the skills important to growing their careers, half of women surveyed (50 percent) chose flexibility/adaptability, followed by encompassing computer and technology skills (43 percent).

On-the-Job Relationships Impact Career Happiness

Women value their relationships with colleagues and supervisors. Relationships with their colleagues (87 percent) and direct supervisors (85 percent) have a big impact on their happiness with their jobs.

Randstad recently launched its Women Powering Business section on its Workforce360 thought leadership site. This section includes the latest research and trends shaping the way women work. For more information, as well as other research insights, advice and career resources, visit www.randstadusa.com/workforce360.

Methodology
The Randstad Engagement Index is comprised of findings from quarterly waves of research targeting employees and annual surveys of employers. The sixth wave of findings was conducted November 1-13, 2012 from a national sample of 3,417 aged 18 and older who are currently employed full time from Ipsos’ U.S. online panel were interviewed online.

Weighting was used to balance demographics and ensure samples reflect the U.S. population of working adults.

Employees and employers were surveyed to compare notable differences in perceptions and attitudes. Multiple waves of research allow for trending and to track changes in perceptions and attitudes over time. Research into employee attitudes and perceptions will be conducted quarterly. Research into employer attitudes and perceptions will be conducted on an annual basis.

About Ipsos Public AffairsIpsos Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective, survey-based research practice which conducts strategic research initiatives for a diverse number of American and international organizations, based on public opinion research. They are the international polling agency of record for Thomson Reuters, the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. To learn more, visit: www.ipsos-pa.com.

About Randstad USRandstad is a $22.5 billion global provider of HR services and the second largest staffing organization in the world. From temporary staffing to permanent placement to inhouse, professionals, search & selection, and HR Solutions, Randstad holds top positions around the world and has approximately 28,700 corporate employees working from its nearly 4,700 branches and inhouse locations in 40 countries. Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Diemen, the Netherlands, Randstad Holding nv is listed on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam. Learn more at http://www.randstad.com.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2013, A national survey of women business owners (WBOs) conducted by Web.com Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: WWWW) and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) found a pervasive sense of economic optimism, including a prediction by most WBOs (85 percent) that more women will become entrepreneurs in 2013 than in past years. WBOs also plan to invest more (38 percent) or the same (54 percent) in hiring this year than they did in 2012 – a positive sign for the economy.

2013, the Year of the Female EntrepreneurThe State of Women-Owned Businesses survey found that the large majority of WBOs were optimistic about their business’ overall performance (81 percent) for the year ahead. They were also optimistic, though slightly less so, about the broader economic outlook (74 percent) in 2013.

“The 2013 State of Women-Owned Businesses Survey reveals that even in these tough economic times, women entrepreneurs are optimistic about business opportunities for the year ahead,” said NAWBO President, Diane L. Tomb . “This survey informs us of the challenges and opportunities facing NAWBO members as well as women business owners in general. At NAWBO we will strive to address these issues on behalf of all women entrepreneurs.”

The survey also uncovered serious challenges facing WBOs, including the need to reach new customers. Web.com and NAWBO developed the survey to better understand the state of women entrepreneurship, including: women business owners’ (WBO) motivations for starting their businesses, what business challenges they face, what and how micro- and macroeconomic factors impact their businesses, what investment plans they have for the year ahead and what public policy issues are of greatest concern.

What Keeps Women Business Owners Up at Night?With regard to public policy matters, the top four issues on the minds of WBOs are: the state of the economy (57 percent), health insurance cost and affordability (40 percent), business tax issues (36 percent), and access to a quality workforce (36 percent). Though two in five WBOs said that health insurance costs and affordability are important issues to them, many (71 percent) feel that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) will have no impact upon the way they do business.

Financing Options to Meet Business Capital NeedsMore than three quarters (78 percent) of WBOs did not seek a new or extended line of credit in the past year. Of these 78 percent, more than half (68 percent) indicated they did not want additional credit in the first place, and the others (32 percent) did not think they could get credit if they tried. Most WBOs financed their businesses through credit cards (45 percent), business earnings (40 percent), or private sources such as personal savings or contributions from family or friends (37 percent).

Who Should Become an Entrepreneur?Survey respondents assert that women start their own businesses for a variety of reasons, including: having a vision for a business idea or a passion for solving a specific industry problem, wanting control or a more flexible work-life balance, and being in the right place at the right time. When asked the biggest motivation for starting their business, the most common answer was that they were following their vision (28 percent), followed by finding an idea that allowed them to become an entrepreneur (21 percent). The survey found that the most important traits for running a successful business are to have a passion for an idea (1st), to have a vision to succeed long-term after the business is launched (2nd) and a willingness and attitude to fail before you succeed and to take risks (3rd).

Finding New Customers through Online Investments and Social Media MarketingWhen asked what they see as their biggest challenge to running their business in 2013, nearly two in five (39 percent) of WBOs said that it was gaining new customers. To gain customers, nearly three quarters (73 percent) of WBOs plan to invest more in marketing in 2013. Specifically, they will invest in social media marketing (36 percent) and search engine optimization (SEO) (36 percent). This is not surprising, as nearly half (44 percent) predict that social media and SEO are the future of small business marketing. Conversely, WBOs anticipated that traditional outreach approaches, including print and direct mail (1.6 percent), online advertising (4.4 percent) and email marketing (6.2 percent), will have less impact on small business marketing in the future.

When considering what marketing tactics currently have the greatest impact on a business’ bottom line, more than half (52 percent) of respondents indicated that website design and maintenance was very important, followed by social media marketing and SEO (38 percent) and email marketing (25 percent). And WBOs indicated that LinkedIn (27 percent) is the most valuable social media platform to them, followed by Facebook (26 percent), YouTube (18 percent) and Twitter (17 percent).

“Women business owners are laser focused on reaching new customers, and their strategy for doing so is focused on improving their businesses’ online presence,” said Web.com Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, Roseann Duran . “This is great news for time-strapped consumers, as they can expect to have an improved and more socially engaged online experience with many of their favorite businesses in 2013.”

The State of Women-Owned Businesses Survey InfographicFor full survey results and to view and share the 2013 State of Women-Owned Businesses infographic, visit www.web.com/community.

Monday, February 11 “Ask the Experts” TweetchatJoin Web.com’s Roseann Duran and NAWBO’s Diane L. Tomb for the 2013 State of Women-Owned Businesses tweetchat (#wgbiz #WBOchat) today to further discuss the survey findings and the issues that face WBOs today.

MethodologyThe survey was conducted online within 552 NAWBO members between December 14, 2012 and January 4, 2013. For complete survey methodology, please contact Lab42 at info@lab42.com.

About Web.comWeb.com Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: WWWW) is a leading provider of online marketing for small businesses. Web.com meets the needs of small businesses anywhere along their lifecycle by offering a full range of online services and support, including domain name registration services, website design, logo design, search engine optimization, search engine marketing and local sales leads, email marketing, general contractor leads, franchise and homeowner association websites, shopping cart software, eCommerce website design and call center services. For more information on the company, please visit http://www.web.com.

About NAWBOFounded in 1975, the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) is the unified voice of America’s more than 10 million women-owned businesses representing the fastest growing segment of the economy. NAWBO is the only dues-based organization representing the interests of all women entrepreneurs across all industries. NAWBO develops programs that help navigate women entrepreneurs thought the various stages of their business growth.

Note to Editors: Web.com is a registered trademark of Web.com Group, Inc.